Crushed
by primmyeverdeen12
Summary: Danielle has the biggest crush on Johnny Cade you'll ever see. But one day she meets some Middle Class Girly who tries to make Johnny fall helplessly in love with her. Will the Middle Class Girl succeed? Or will Danielle have the courage to profess her love? Or will she forever be single?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! As I said I am posting a preview of my latest idea for a book. I knnow I have a book in progress but this is only a PREVIEW. If you guys like it, then when I'm done with ****_If I Die Young_**** I'll continue it. Now, for this preview, I'll probably post like 1 or 2 chapters for it and let you guys decide if I shall continue or not...I don't know...**

**Enough chit-chat, on with the preview!**

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"Get this, I was just on my way home when out of no where Piper, that really annoying Junior, races towards me and is bouncing like crazy. So I said,'What do you need?' Then she said,'Guess what?!' And I was like,'What?' Then she squeeled and said,'Cauntelope!' God that was a waste of my life. She owes me 5 minutes of my life!" my over dramatic friend, Tara, reminisces.

"Wow..." I say unamused.

"Don't be down. Listen to this: Why are boys so attracted to Earth's core?" Tara begins.

"I don't know." I reply.

"Because it's so hot!" Tara starts laughing her head off. I laugh some too. The stupid things are always the funniest.

"So are we gonna head to your place or what?" Tara asks me.

"We can go to my place." I offer.

"YAY!" Tara cheers. She's always been the dramatic type.

We make our way to my house. We would be walking in silence if Tara wouldn't be saying a joke after another joke after another after another...you get the point. Tara stops the jokes when we notice a black truck following us. We stop dead in our tracks. I can hear Tara breathing deeply. She's scared all right.

"Put your hands up!" a voice from the car yells. Tara frantically puts her hands up but I slowly put mine up in confusion. Something's off.

"I'm sorry if we're blocking your way please don't jump us!" Tara pleads. The man in the car begins laughing hard. That's when I realize who it is.

"Cut it out Two-Bit! All we were doing was walking home from school!" I say on my friends behalf.

"You should've seen the look on y'alls face! Priceless!" Two-Bit laughs even harder.

"Shut up." I demand.

"Well I _was _gonna offer y'all a ride but if you're gonna be mean." Two-Bit begins.

"We'd love a car ride. Right Tara?" I answer polietly.

"Fine. Hop in." Two-Bit motions us to hop inside. Tara takes the middle and I'm squished in the passengers seat. Two-Bit presses the pedal fast and the car begins driving 85 mph. We run 3 red lights and nearly crash into several cars. I got lost after 10.

"Two-Bit..." I manage to say.

"Yeah Danielle?" he replies.

"I think I'm gonna be sick!" I practically yell.

"Eww...tots gross Danielle." Tara squels.

"Danielle if you puke in my car, you're gonna get it!" Two-Bit threatens. The car jolts forward and I bang my head hard against the dashboard.

"We're here!" Two-Bit announces. He and Tara get out and I struggle to move. I slowly but surely open up the car door and place my feet on the ground. I slowly walk away from the car, shut the door, and make my way to the door. My legs feel numb, I feel sick to the stomach, and any second now I'm gonna collapse.

"Danielle? Are you ok?" Two-Bit asks concerned.

"I'm...I'm..." That's all I can say before I fall backwards on the grass. My legs have given out.

"Danielle! Danielle are you ok? Danielle!" Tara runs to my side. I attempt to get up but just collapse again.

"I'll take care of this. I'm gonna carry you in alright Danielle?" Two-Bit asks. I just moan in reply. I'm not to thrilled with the thought of _Two-Bit_ carrying me in, but what other choice do I have? Tara's too weak to carry me, and I certainly can't. I feel myself being lifted up and a wave of nausea sweeps over me. We enter my house and Two-Bit drops me on the couch.

"I'm gonna go get your brothers. You stay awake ok Danielle?" Two-Bit orders. I just moan in reply. "Darry! Soda!"

"Tara rushes to my side and clutches my hand like I'm dying. I can hear yelling and footsteps, but they seem so distant. Mind as well introduce myself.

I'm Danielle Ann Curtis. I'm only 14 years old and I'm Ponyboy's younger twin sister. We don't look that alike. I look like Soda and he doesn't. I have deep brown eyes, really wavy, but not quite curly dirty blonde hair, I'm about 5'2 in height, and I have pale skin. I can be very thoughtful, energetic, and senstive. I'd say that I have one quality from each of my brothers. I can be quiet like Ponyboy, or filled with laughter like Soda, or even stubborn like Darry. Of all my brothers, I'd say I'm most like Soda, and not just with looks. He and I share _some_ qualities, but we aren't entirely alike. I am also like Ponyboy is some ways. I too love track, movies, books, and sunsets, but I dont dig movies or books the way he does. He gets deep into them. I don't really. I'm hardly like Darry at all. i just can be stubborn like him. That's really it. Sad? Maybe...Good? Possibly...Confusing? Ding ding ding we have a winner! That's life I guess.

I can barely understand,"Danielle!" I slowly open my eyes to reveal my older brother Sodapop kneeling next to me. In the background I can barely see a tall and buff figure. Must be Darry. Who else could it? Ponyboy? No way! Ponyboy ain't nearly as buff and tall as Darry. No one really is.

"Danielle are you alright?" Soda asks me. I ope my mouth in reply but that was a mistake. I get up and bolt to the bathroom. I start throwing up in the bathroom. When I can't heave anymore, I fall back and blackout.

When I wake up next I'm laying down on my bed. Next to me is Tara. She is holding my hand and slowly crying into it.

"Tara?" I croak. She looks up at me and the first thing I register is how red and blotchy her face is.

"Danielle! God Danielle you scared me to death!" she pulls me in for a hug.

"How long was I out?" I ask. Man is my voice hoarse.

"An hour. But it was the longest and scariest hour of my life!" Tara begins crying more.

"I'm ok Tara. Don't worry. I just got motion sickness thats all." I reassure Tara. Then we hear faint knocking on the doorand Tara invites the person in.

"Hey Danielle." a quiet voice greets me. I look up and see Johnny standing there with concerned eyes. My heart flutters at the sight of him.

"Hi Johnny." I reply polietly.

"You feeling better?" he asks me.

"I am now." I say with a smile. I've had the biggest crush on Johnny ever since we were little. The mere sight of him makes me happy.

"That's good. I'll check up on you later. Bye." Johnny exits the room.

"Girl did you see that! He totally likes you! Did you see that concern in his eyes?!" Tara squels. She's the only one I've ever told about my crush on Johnny. But I doubt Johnny likes me the way I like him. I'm 14 and he's 16. Seems odd if you ask me.

"Does this mean you're gonna talk to Soda?" I ask. Tara has the biggest crush on Soda. She always knows what he's experiencing, where he's at, and just about everything else you could possibly know about Soda. She's truly amazing.

"Yeah," she hesitates before saying,"Maybe." I give her a weak smile and hop out of my bed. Tara and I make our way down the stairs and into the living room. There, we see Dally, Steve, Ponyboy, and Johnny playing cards. Two-Bit sits on the couch watching Mickey Mouse. Typical Two-Bit.

"Hey Danielle! Feeling better?" Ponyboy asks me.

"Yeah." I reply.

"Wanna play poker with us?" Johnny offers.

"Sure." I take a seat next to Johnny and Dally. Ponyboy sits across from me next to Steve and the other side of Johnny.

"Wanna join us Tara?" I ask.

"No thanks." she declines. I shrug it off and focus on my cards. And man are they bad!

"Two-Bit!" a voice calls from the kitchen.

"Coming!" Two-Bit replies taking Tara with her. I stare at Tara till I can't see her dirty blonde hair anymore. Back to my cards.

We play for a little while and Tara and Two-Bit are still gone. As we're playing, I feel myself blush the whole time because I'm sitting next to Johnny. Stupid cheeks. And every once in a while Johnny's hand will brush against mine. That only makes me blush harder and my heart flutter with joy. I resist the erge to smile each time.

"That's it! I fold!" I announce while tossing my cards aside. I already owe Dally, Steve, and Johnny money. I don't wanna add Ponyboy to that list. I make my way to the couch and watch the continue their game. Well, more like watch _Johnny _play poker. After about 20 minutes of non-stop staring at Johnny, Two-Bit and Tara come back. Two-Bit has a bright red spot on his cheek probably given to him by Darry.

"I'm leaving. See y'all tomorrow." Two-Bit announces. As said, he leaves without another word.

"C'mon Dally. Let's go." Tara orders. Did I mention? Dally and Tara are siblings. But they're so different. Tara's too perky and Dally's too harsh. Tara has dirty blonde hair and grey eyes. Dally has pale ice blue eyes, elf like features, and almost white hair. They are just so different.

"Fine. As you wish you little brat." Dally says while rolling his eyes. He could care less about Tara.

"I gotta go too. Later guys!" Steve leaves.

Me, Ponyboy, and Johnny are left there. We sit in silence for a moment before Ponyboy says,"Would you like to stay the night Johnny?"

"Can I?" Johnny asks.

"I don't see why not! Hey Darry!" Pony calls.

"Yeah?" Darry walks into the room shortly followed by Soda.

"Can Johnny spend the night?" Ponyboy pleads.

"Sure." Darry agrees.

"I'm going to bed. Night y'all." I make my way upstairs to my bedroom and quickly change into a white t-shirt and black shorts. I am just about to crawl into bed when I hear knockin on my door.

"Come in!" I answer.

"Hey Danielle." I turn around to see Ponyboy standing in the doorway.

"I gotta question for you." Ponyboy says.

"What is it?" I ask.

"It's about Johnny." at the very mention of his name I blush hard.

"How'd you know?" I ask confused.

"You made it pretty obvious during poker." Pony informs me. Oh crud! What if the others found out? I'm doomed!

"Pony, did the others notice me?" I ask frantically.

"Sure they did. I knnow for a fact that Dally knows. you may not have seen this but he kept staring you down between turns. I couldn't tell you fi Steve knows or not. We'll have to ask. And Johnny was just oblivious to it all. He didn't notice a thing." Pony explains. He hesitates before asking quietly,"How many people know?"

"Well you know, you claim Dally knows, Steve may know, and Tara knows. Possibly 4 people." I reply.

"Ok...Night Danielle." Pony yawns.

"Night Ponyboy." I reply. Ponyboy heads out of the room and I fall onto my bed. The minute I close my eyes, the nightmares begin.

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**So that's it. My wonderful chapter one of possibly two for this preview. I hope y'all like this and if you do find interest in it, just say so and I'll continue either while I'm doing _If I Die Young _or when I finish it. I just may add another chapter to this preview Saturday. I'd say Friday but i have a Halloween birthday party I'm goign to and that lasts from 7-10. So there's no time there.**

**I hope y'all liked this and please review!**

**-Katie Lynn**


	2. Chapter 2: Hopeful Lovers

**Ok I know I should be updating ****_If I Die Young_**** and ****_Up in A Tree_**** but I had to update this preview! I need more reviews telling me that I should continue this or not! **

**Enjoy this chapter! I may add another to this preview for your sake's.**

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_All around me is fire. Everywhere I look there's fire. "HELP!" I call out. No reply. "HELP!" _

_I hear some crackling sounds below me and sure enough, the floor's breaking. "HELP!"_

_"Danielle?" a voice asks._

_"HELP!" I scream. The floor's breaking quicker and any second now it's gonna collapse._

_"I'm coming Danielle!" the voice shouts. I hear footsteps near me and I now see who the voice belongs to. Johnny._

_"No Johnny don't!" but it's too late. Johnny steps into the fire and collapses in pain. His whole body turns to ash before my eyes._

I wake up with a scream, and it's a loud one.

"Danielle! Are you ok? Open the door! Danielle!" a voice urges. I can't though. I'm too scared to move. I hear arguements outside.

"Soda, go get me a needle. I'm gonna try and pick the lock." one urges.

"You can't pick the lock! You'll break it!" a voice who I assume belongs to Soda yells.

"Then how will we open the door?" I think that's Darry. They all become silent for a moment. I decide to let them in. I slowly get up and unlock the door. Before me, in a circle, is Darry, Pony, Soda, and Johnny. I forgot he was spending the night. My heart flutters at the sight of him.

"Danielle what happened? We heard you scream." Soda asks.

"Nightmare." I whisper. I can feel my body getting hotter as I think of the fire that haunted my dreams.

"Would you like to tell us about it?" Soda asks. I shake my head.

"It'll make you feel better." Soda urges. I shake my head more violently.

"Ok." Soda gives up.

"Well I better start breakfast." Darry says. It takes me a moment to realize that he and Soda are both in there work clothes. Now that's shocking. Soda's all up and ready. That's a first.

Soda follows Darry downstairs to help with breakfast and Pony turns around and heads to his room. Johnny stares at me with concerned eyes.

"Ya ok?" he asks me.

"I'm fine." I whisper. I head back into my room and get dressed. I grab a forest green t-shirt, my jean jacket, a pair of jeans, and my converse. I go to the bathroom and quickly slip them on. Before I go I look into the mirror. I look awful tired and it shows in my brown eyes. My blonde hair is absolutely a mess and my freckles barely appear on my pale skin. I quickly brush my hair to make me look somewhat decent then head downstairs to have breakfast.

"Look who finally decided to show up." Darry says irritated.

"Sorry." I mumble. I plop down in a seat right next to Johnny. We all just eat our eggs and chocolate cake silence from that point on.

"Well we better get going little buddy." Darry gets up and drags Soda along with him. The two of them head outside and take off driving.

"So what are you guys gonna do today?" I ask.

"Johnny and I are gonna hang out with the gang today. Right Johnny?" Pony says.

"Yeah. We're gonna head to the Dingo. Wanna come?" Johnny offers. My heart leaps with joy. He wants to take me somewhere! But then I remember. I promised Tara last week that she and I were gonna take care of 'unfinished business' today. I think we're just gonna hang out, but Tara always has something planned out. I'm suppose to be at her place in an hour.

"Sorry I can't. I was gonna hang out with Tara today." I apologize.

"It's cool." Johnny looks a little sad. I wonder why...

"Well we better get going Johnnycakes or the gang'll be mad at us." Pony stands up and heads for the door. Johnny follows behind him.

"Bye Danielle!" Pony and Johnny say in harmony. They close the door silently behind them and race down the street. I get up and call Tara.

"Hey Tara!" I greet.

"Hey Danielle! Look here's what you need to bring today: notebook paper, a pen, and some memories. Got it?" Tara orders.

"Wait...memories? Why memories?" I ask. Why would I need memories?

"Because today is the day you make your move!" Tara squeals.

"Make my move? What?" I ask.

"Just bring the list ok? I'll explain more later. See ya later." Tara says.

"Ok...bye." I hang up. That was weird. I head to my room and grab a few pieces of notebook paper, a black pen, and pace around for a moment trying to conjure up memories. Before I know it it's 11 o'clock and I need to be at Tara's now. I rush downstairs and run down the streets until I arrive at Tara's.

"Hey Danielle! I'll lower the latter. Climb up." Tara calls out. I look up at her bedroom window and she begins lowering a latter. I do as she says and begin climbing. I hop in her window and stare at her.

"What?" she asks.

"A latter? Really?" I ask.

"Dally grounded me. I'm under room arrest for the rest of the day. Can you believe him?" Tara explains. "All I did was attempt to paint my nails clear but no. I just _had _to be caught by Dally!"

"Well that's probably because he either loves you or doesn't want you to become a Soc." I suggest.

"I know. I thought of that too. It's just a silly punishment for painting my nails. I mean _room arrest?_ Seriously?" Tara whines.

I hastily change the subject. "So what are we doing?"

"You are gonna write a love letter to Johnny." Tara says with a smile.

"Whoa whoa whoa! _A love letter?_ Why?" I ask.

"Because you are gonna profess your love for him today. Now get writing." Tara seats me at her desk and places the paper and pen before me. I sigh in defeat and begin writing. Let's hope this'll make her happy.

_Johnny,_

_I know this may seem sudden what I'm about to tell you but please, read the whole thing. It'll explain a lot. I promise._

_So here it goes. I love you Johnny Cade. And I mean it. Everyday I see you my heart flutters and I can't help but smile. You may not feel the same way about me but I don't care. I love you. Y-O-U. And no one else. Whenever your old man or witch of a mother beat you up...I can't bear it. That's why whenever I see you hurt I sneak into my room. I cry for you. I can't help it. That's what love does to you._

_I remember when you were 9 and I was 7. You and the gang were out playing football and I was off in La La Land because at the time I hated sports. Little did I know that in the tree above me were a group of kid Socs, a wasps nest, and a knife. They began sawing off the branch that held the wasp nest. When it was all cut off, they shoved it down to the ground where I was laying down. I heard a buzzing sound and my eyes flashed open. There were wasps all around me. I remember screaming in fear as the wasps surrounded me. The entire gang ran to me and you were the first to come. You picked me up and carried me away from the wasps. I remember that I ended up getting 5 wasp stings and you got 2 stings for me. From that day on I started liking you. And with each new day you grew on me more and more until now where know I love you._

_I hope you understand._

_Danielle Curtis_

I drop the pen and stare at the letter. I just poured 7 years of my liking towards Johnny down on 1 piece of paper. Sure it's not all that detailed but it covers the bases. It describes how I got to like Johnny, so that's good. tara snatches the paper and reads it. When she's done. She lowers the paper so we meet face-to-face and wears a huge smile.

"This. Is. AMAZING! Best love letter ever! Girl, I never knew that _wasps _of all things brought you to like him! It's so romantic! He's Romeo and your Juliet! This is amazing!" Tara exclaims.

"So does this mean you're gonna write a love letter to Soda?" I ask.

"Oh no! He'll never like me back. I'm 14 and he's 17. Plus he's dating that blondie Sandy. Ugh. She makes me sick." Tara groans. I like Sandy just fine, but she looks like she's hiding something. I'll find out one of these days.

"He'll like you back if you profess your love." I urge.

"Fine." Tara moans. She grabs a fresh sheet of paper and the pen and begins scribbling words onto the paper. She's filled up the whole front side before she signs _Sincerely, Tara Winston._

"Can I read it?" I plead. "It's only fair! You read mine."

"Fine." Tara hands me the paper and I read it.

_Soda,_

_Listen up. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. Nothing can change that. I realize that you're in love with Sandy and all, but I just want you to know that I really like you. And not just because you're handsome. But also because you're caring, thoughtful, understanding, funny, and one of the greatest guys I've ever known. Correction. You __**are **__the greatest guy I know. Just listen and think about my feelings, ok? Danielle and I think that Sandy's hiding something, and something important. So when you find out, remember that there's this one girl who really does love you and always will._

_I can tell you, Dally would disapprove of this letter, but I can't help it. The heart decides who I love, not your older brother. If he chose someone for me to date, it'd probably be someone like Tim Shepherd. I don't want him though. I want you. And only you._

_I pray that you'll understand._

_Sincerely,_

_Tara Winston_

"That was beautiful Tara. I really liked it." I admit. If I was Soda, I'd probably be head over heels for Tara. She's a real sweet girl. I don't know why he doesn't love her the way she loves him. I guess I'll never know.

"Thanks. So you ready to deliver these?" Tara asks. She hops up and stares at me with a smile.

"I guess. But aren't you on room arrest?" I realize.

"Yeah but last time I escaped on room arrest I got off easy with a warning." Tara explains.

"Ok...I'm trusting youon this." I say unconvinced.

"It'll be fine Danielle! We're _gonna_ deliver these letters and we're _gonna _like it." Tara says in a serious tone.

"Ok. Let's get this over with." I feel defeated yet excited. Johnny'll finally know the truth, but what if he doesn't feel the same way?

"Follow me. Where are they headed?" Tara asks. I look at the clock. 11:30. Usually my gang stays a good 2 1/2 hours at the Dingo eating, chatting, watching movies on the plasma TV in the back, some of us getting drunk, or anything else. Once Dally even went all out and egged the old place! he ended up going to the cooler for that. And once Two-Bit drunk about 10 bottles of beer and was so drunk that he ended up playing spin the bottle with every girl there. That's how he met one of his many blondes. And even Steve has done something wild there. He did all these flips and tricks off the tables. He was showing off what Darry had taught us from a camp at the YMCA. He had all the girls drooling over him in a matter of flips. That's how he met Evie.

"The Dingo I believe." I tell her.

"Dingo here we come!" Tara announces. She and I climb down the latter outside her bedroom door and race off to the Dingo. We run for about 20 minutes (about 5-7 blocks) before we finally arrive at the Dingo. We stand outside the doorway and make a plan.

"Ok so. You go in there and give your letter to Johnny _casually. _Then you say something along the lines of 'please read this' and walk outside to me. Then you and I will race to the DX where Soda will _hopefully _still be working at. If we're lucky there will be no girls and we can easily slide him the letter and head back to my place. Judging by the time we can either wait for our hopeful lovers to read the letters and wait for their move or if it takes us longer than expected we call your place and ask darry if you can spend the night at my place. Deal?" Tara explains.

"Got it. I go inside. I give him the letter. You and I go to the DX so you can deliver your letter. We head back to place and await the results. Then we possibly call Darry if it's too late. We ask if I can spend the night." I briefly explain.

"Excellent! Now go in there and win the heart of your man! I gotta stay out here because if Dally catches me in the Dingo of all places with you, he'll kill me." Tara informs me.

"Ok...here goes nothing." I take the letter out of my pocket and hold it in my hand. I feel like a nervous wreck. I hope he loves me back, but he may not. I guess we'll find out. I walk into the Dingo with shaky knees and little hope in my heart. I walk to the center of the room so I can view all the tables and booths. I skim every seat until I find Dally, Two-Bit, and Pony at one booth. Two-Bit is flirting with some blonde girl and Dally is drinking some beer while watching them in disgust. I notice that Ponyboy is reading some book quietly under the table. My eyes draw me to the booth next to theirs.

I can believe what I'm seeing.

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**Oooooh...cliff hanger! In order to find out what happens next you guys will have to favorite this, comment on this, or follow it! I mean it. I need inspiration! I need encouragement! So please be kind and do one or all of these things I've asked for...even if it's critisism! I'll gladly take it. :)**

**I hope y'all enjoyed and that may be the end of this preview...sorry :(**

**-Katie Lynn**


	3. Chapter 3: Heartbreak

**On days like these I'd update one of my "in-progress" books like ****_If I Die Young _****or ****_Up in A Tree _****but I didn't want to leave you guys on a cliff-hanger any longer. So I'm updating! Yay! But I'll probably update one ofmy other books later today.**

**Don't forget to check out ****_Someday My Prince Will Come _****which explains how Danielle's crush on Johnny began.**

**Disclaimer: I so badly wish I owned the Outsiders. But I only own Danielle and Tara.**

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Pain. That's the first thing I feel. I can literally feel my heart shattering in a million pieces. It's as if someone took a hammer and began smashing it. Tears form in my eyes as I stare at this horrid sight.

There, in a booth all alone, is Johnny and some girl who doesn't look like a Soc, but doesn't look like a greaser either. I settle on Middle Class. They both are chatting away, well the girl is, and Johnny's listening intently. The girl grabs his hands and gives him a warm smile that makes him blush.

The girl is dressed in a light pink dress that goes to her knees, black flats, and her hair is in complicated curls, kinda like Steve's, but her hair color is a bright red. She wears makeuplike a greaser girl would, (lots of eyeliner, thick mascara, over the top eyeshadow) but it suits her. Her eyeshadow is a "light" peach that reflects off her electric green eyes beautifully, a redish-pink lipstick that doesn't stand out too much on her evenly caucasian skin tone, and pearl earrings that don't look that big on her smal ears. She's a natural beauty, as much as it hurts to think that, it's true. The green eyes, the red hair, the pink skin...it's all too much for me.

Sobs begin racking up on me and I let my tears fall. I still hold the love letter in my hand. I'm holding onto it for dear life, like if I lose it, I'll die or something.

My sobs must be loud, but not loud enough to disrupt everyone's meals, because the girl looks at me with wide eyes and shock everywhere on her face. She lightly taps Johnny on the shoulder and points at me. He's confused at first, but when he spots me there with blotchy red eyes and tears streaming down my face, his face falls. The girl recongnizes this and immediately turns Johnny's face to meet hers and pulls him in for a deep kiss.

My heart shatters even more when I see the evil look she gives me when they pull apart. It's clearly labeled "_He's Mine!" _Of course, Johnny's too oblivious to realize this. I squeeze my eyes together and take a deep breath to calm me down. I turn around and run back outside to Tara. She's the only person I want to see right now.

When I burst out the enterance, I immediately spot her leaning on a pole patiently waiting.

"Tara!" I call out for her. Her eyes meet mine and I rush over to her. She wraps me in a bear hug as I begin crying my pain into her shirt.

"It hurts...it hurts so much..." I whimper into her shirt. She begins rubbing my back comfortingly. One thing I like about Tara is that whenever I'm in pain, she's always there with wide arms and wise sayings.

"What happened?" she whispers to me.

"J-J-J-Johnny and some g-g-g-girl k-k-k-k-kissed." the word is barely audible. I can't imagine little Johnny kissing anyone, not yet anyways, but he did. And it was a Middle Class Girl. My worst nightmare.

"Oh Danielle...I'm sorry sweetie...it'll be ok." Tara tries to comfort me, but I don't take it.

"No it won't! She's probably already won his heart before I even tried! It's fair." more tears come forth, and they fall to the ground as I stare deeply into Tara's eyes. She brushes back some loose strands of dirty blonde hair behind my ear and cups my face.

"It'll be ok Danielle." Tara confirms. I decide it's best not to argue right now. I'm in too much pain to do much anyway. "Let's go home."

Tara and I begin walking home at a fast pace. Neither of us are bothering to look back at the Dingo or go to the DX to deliver Tara's letter.

We finally make it back home and I flop down on the sofa, still crying my eyes out. So this is what it feels like to get your heart broken for the first time. I don't like it.

"Danielle don't worry. It'll be ok. Please stop crying." Tara begs. I don't though, it hurts too much. "Maybe you miss saw something. Like your mind was playing a trick on you or something."

"No it didn't! I know it didn't! Johnny's back at the Dingo kissing away with some Middle Class Girl that neither of us know the name to!" my words bring on more pain as I realize that could've been the first of many kisses they've shared in one day.

Tara is at a loss of words. She knows the truth. She won't fight with me anymore. She knows I saw what I saw. My mind hardly ever plays tricks on my mind. Especially about Johnny. So she just sighs in defeat and rubs my back. My face probably looks like a mess. It's probably all red and puffy with a stained trail of tears on my cheeks. My hair's probably a tangled mess from the sofa, and I must look like a victim of abuse or something the way I'm crying.

Our front door opens up and slams shut as footsteps near Tara and I. I don't need to guess who that is. I know who it is. It's the one guy who can always read my mind, who gets me, who doesn't know what I'm going through but will comfort me anyway. I know that it's Ponyboy.

I look up from my pillow and sure enough, there's Pony with concern all over his face. I jump up and fall into his arms. He wraps his arms around me and strokes my hair in a brotherly fashion. He begins humming to me as an attempt to calm me down. It helps some, knowing that my twin's caring for me, but I'm still heartbroken over Johnny. This stuff happens way to quickly sometimes.

"Ya know, I was afraid of you seeing them together. Johnny offered for me to sit with them, but Taylor begged him to put me with the others. When he said he wanted to sit with a friend she said,'But why? Your girl**friend's** here!' I ended up sitting with our gang and knew that Taylor would be up to no good with Johnny. I tried reading but I read the same line over and over again because I was praying you wouldn't come." Pony admits to me. I look up from his shirt into his green-gray eyes to see if there's any hint of lie, but there's not. So that girl, Taylor, forced Johnny to kiss her. Not the other way around.

But then my heart falls again when I remember what Pony said. Something about Taylor saying about her being Johnny's girlfriend.

Our front door opens, yet again, to reveal Two-Bit and Dally. Two-Bit runs over to me and hugs Pony and I while Dally walks over to Tara and begins dragging her out by her dirty blonde curls out the door. I have a gut feeling that someone's in trouble.

Two-Bit lets go of Pony and me and he stares into my brown eyes. "It'll be ok Danielle. Just think of it like...Mickey and Minnie. Say you're Minnie and Johnny's Mickey and Taylor's some other mouse on the street. Mickey could very well fall in love with the other mouse, but he stays with Minnie because he loves her. Sure he loves the other mouse, but not nearly as much as he loves Minnie. Johnny does love you Danielle, he's just too oblivious to notice it. He's never experienced love before from his parents, so identifying it will be twice as hard as getting it from his parents. He thinks no one loves him, so that's why he's with Taylor. He thinks he's in love with her, butwe all know you're the one for him. Why else would he have saved you from those wasps when you were 7?"

Wow...that was...deep. Even for Two-Bit! I never knew that Two-Bit Mathews, black-handled switchblade owner, stealer, wise-cracker, rumble lover, blonde brood digger Two-Bit, could be so wise when it comes to love. I know he's experienced it so many times with all those blondes, but I never knew how deep he was. Maybe that's how he gets the blondes to date him, with his wise sayings.

I can't help but laugh a little at his referece to Mickey and Minnie. I should've seen that coming. This guy can really cheer a person up. But still not entirely. I still feel heartbroken about Johnny and Taylor being...boyfriend and girlfriend...but I'll manage. Maybe.

"I'm gonna go to my room." I walk up the stairs to my room, and lock the door. I jump on my bed and lie down. The days events play through my head like a record. The kiss comes up over and over again, bringing tears back into my eyes. I feel absolutely horrible for not telling him earlier, because now look where we are. He has a girlfriend!

Girlfriend...is this true? Johnny actually has a girlfriend? No no no! Taylor just said that to make him think that. Johnny didn't confirm anything. Besides, he couldn't have liked that kiss. Right?

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**And that my friend's is Chapter 3. Sorry if there's any words squeezed into one, my keyboard's not exactly working. The spacebar won't work unless I press ****_really_**** hard on it. And I type pretty quick.**

**So how'd you lie this Chapter? What do y'all feel about Taylor? The kiss? I need to know!**

_**Please review y'all! I need to know if I need to fix**_** anything!**

**Well I better get going. I gotta write another chapter for ****_If I Die Young_****!**

**Stay gold y'all and review!  
-Katie Lynn**


	4. Chapter 4: Cousins? Seriously?

**Hey guys! So I usually don't update twice in one day but I am because of my #1 fan:TheBeatlesMopTops. So I've decided to dedicate this chapter to her. She really loves this book and I hope y'all do too!**

**So, I don't think y'all need a refresher on what just happened, but if so: Taylor and Johnny ahve kissed, Danielle is heartbroken, Two-Bit became wise, Danielle doesn't know if Johnny and Taylor are dating or not.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Tara, Danielle, and Taylor. Everything else is not mine! It belongs to S.E. Hinton!**

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**I also found a song that might go well with this book and what's been happening:**

_Take time to realize  
That your warmth is crashing down on in  
Take time to realize that I am on your side  
Didn't I, didn't I tell you_

But I can't spell it out for you  
No, it's never gonna be that simple  
No, I can't spell it out for you.

If you just realize what I just realized  
Then we'd be perfect for each other and we'll never find another  
Just realize what I just realized  
We'd never have to wonder if we missed out on each other now

**Artist:** Colbie Caillat  
**Song: **_Realize_

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I suddenly feel claustorphobic and am terrified of the fact that these walls could crash down on me at any moment. I feel like I'm suffocating and I'll die from lack of air. I need out. I can't go downstairs. The window. It's my only hope. I'll just go to the park and back.

I open my window as quietly and quickly as possible. When it's as open as possible Imake sure that my bedroom door is locked and hop out. It's quite a fall, but luckily I don't make much noise. I look around to make sure no one followedme out or saw me. Once I decide it's clear, I take a deep breath of the fresh air and begin running to the park.

It's about a 15 minute walk, 6-7 minutes if you run, and 3 minutes by car. We live pretty close to it. A couple blocks away.

When I finally arrive, I spot Taylor and...Sandy? Sitting on the fountain? That's strange...

I race to the nearest and most well hidden area to listen in on their conversation. It's a series of shurbs and trees near the fountain. Lucky me they talk pretty loud out in the open. I begin my listening.

"Oh Sandy it was wonderful! I bet I already have him head over heels for me!" Taylor exclaims.

"I told ya Soda's gang was easy to trick! And who didn't believe me? You! I've been dating Soda for what? 2 months now? It made it all the easier to make him fall for me because his parents passed away a week before. I hardly tried and he fell hard for me! That b*stard doesn't even know I'm two-timing him!" Sandy exclaims.

"He's never caught you before?" Sandy shakes her head. "Amazing! You _have _to teach me how to do that! I can't risk Johnny finding out that I'm dating him just because I'm trying to make my old boyfriend, Jim, jealous. You know he's from the Typer Street Tigers. And boy, are those guys fierce! I can only imagine what'll happen! It'd be the end of my relationship!"

"He won't find out. He's too oblivious to find out. I'm met him. He's very shy and his parents don't treat him all that nice. He's always at the Curtis's. You have nothing to worry about." Sandy says like it's no big deal.

"But what about his friends? He kept telling me about Ponyboy and his twin Danielle! I saw her today at the Dingo. I think she might like him." Taylor says worriedly.

"She won't find out. No one will. The Tyber Street Tigers are on the other side of the neighborhood, in the part the Curtis's ad their gang aren't familiar with. Except Dally. And maybe Two-Bit. He's probably wound up there once while being rip-roaring drunk. And that's where the Shepherds live. Man...that Tim Shepherd sure is sexy." Sandy says.

"Are ya sure? I can't risk Johnny finding out. His heart's so sensitive...it'll break him...and there's still that Danielle." Taylor says.

"I told you! It'll be fien! They all have such..._simple _minds. Especially Soda. He's as dumb as a post! No wonder he dropped out." Sandy says while rolling her eyes.

"Do you even love Soda?" Taylor asks curiously.

"H*ll no! He works at a f*cking gas station for a living! Such a b*tch sometimes ya know? He's so d*mn sensitive and is a big bawl baby. Can't wait till I break-up with him." Geez...and I thought Dally could swear good. Sandy's just as bad. Hypocrite...

"Ya sure can cuss good cuz!" Taylor compliments. Wait a second..._cuz? _Oh no...are they? Cousins?

"And one day you'll learn to do the same! We are family aren't we?" Sandy wraps and arm around Taylor's shoulder.

"H*ll yes!" Taylor tests out. She gives a big smile as Sandy nods her head.

"I gotta go. Soda and I are going out with Steve and Evie. Aren't they b*tches. Worst couple ever!" Sandy gets up brushes the dirt off her clothes.

"Ok! I gotta go show off my new boyfriend to Jim anyways." Taylor gets up from sitting on the fountain's rim. "Call me later ok?"

"Yeah sure." Sandy grabs her purse, waves at Taylor, and walks off to my house. So she's cheatig on Soda with some mystery boy? And Taylor's just dating Johnny to make her ex-boyfriend Jim, of the Tyber Street Tigers, jealous?

Taylor wipes off her skirt, flips her hair over her shoulder, and struts off. I get up from hiding in the shrubs and begin running home, careful not to run into Sandy. All I have on my mind is the gang and Taylor and Sandy conversation. The gang...

Wait till they hear what I just realized.

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**Ok well that's it. I wrote this as a little chapter filler and to add some drama. It'll make more sense (Taylor and Sandy's conversation) as I progress more into the book. I promise!**

**And thanks to all the wonderful reviews I got for the last chapter. Let's keep it up!**

**If y'all have any songs, ideas, questions, and what not, just review them and I'll try my best to either answer or fufill them!**

**Hope y'all enjoyed and see y'all in my next update!**

**Stay gold**

**-Katie Lynn**


	5. Chapter 5: Food Fights

**Hey guys! I am gonna be so busy with homework today that I can only update this one. Maybe ****_Up in A Tree_**** since I'm so far behind in that book. I don't know. But this one for sure!**

**That's all to say besides I don't own anyone or anything except for Taylor (sadly), Tara, and Danielle.**

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As I raced home, not once did I see Sandy. I ignored it though, because I could care even less about her than I ever did before.

When I finally arrived at home, I swung open and gasped out,"Guys! You wouldn't believe what I-" That's when I laid eyes on Sandy. She beat me to my own house, and I was the one running! "Hey Sandy..."

She stared at me like I should be sorry for rudely interupting her and Soda's making out session. The rest of the gang was apparently in the kitchen making dinner, because they all came rushing in and stared at me curiously.

"What's going on?" Darry demanded.

"Uh...I was just gonna tell y'all something but it's no longer important...Ponyboy can I talk to you?" I lied. If there's one person that can keep his mouth shut tight, it's Ponyboy. Well, he and Johnny.

"Sure what is it?" I opened my mouth to speak but closed it when I remembered that Sandy was present.

"Not _here_...in private...please..." I begged him.

"Sure. Will I regret this?" Pony cocked his eyebrow, a trick he learned from Two-Bit.

"No...just c'mon!" I walked over to him, grabbed his hand, and dragged him into my room. "What the heck is Sandy doing here?"

"Hanging out with Soda obviously." Pony said. Boy did he look confused.

"Pony...listen to me,ok? Sandy has to go! Permanently! She's cheating on Soda with some other guy who I don't know the name to! I know it sounds crazy, but it's true! I heard her and Taylor talking about it in the park! They're cousins, Pony! They both are dangerous people..._dangerous_. Taylor is only dating Johnny to make her ex boyfriend, Jim, of the Tyber Street Tigers, jealous. And I have no clue who Sandy's dating! I know it sounds crazy Pony, I don't believe it myself, but it's true. Taylor and Sandy...you can't trust them. Please say you believe me!" I begged Ponyboy. I sounded crazy just saying it. I wouldn't believe myself if I was saying to me.

"How do you know this?" Pony looked at me suspiciously.

"I told you! I saw her and Taylor talking about it in the park! You believe me...don't you?" I asked pleadingly.

"Yeah...I do...as crazy as it sounds...should we tell Soda?" Pony asked.

"I don't think we should. It'd break his heart." I said quietly.

"What about Johnny?" he continued.

It hurt me to think about Johnny dating Taylor, but I knew that it'd hurt him if we told him that Taylor didn't love him. Who know's what he'd do? "No..." I said quietly.

"Ok...ok..." Pony and I went back downstairs to the gang and Sandy.

"Everything ok?" Darry asked.

"It's fine. I just had to tell him something. What's for dinner?" I asked eagerly trying to change the topic.

"Mashed potatoes, peas, and chicken." Two-Bit said smiling. "First real meal I've _ever _made!"

"That's suprising." I said rolling my eyes. He didn't need to announce that this was the first real meal he's made. We all knew it.

"Hey! That hurt!" Two-Bit said offended. I just broke out in laughter.

"Sandy! Soda! Dinner's ready!" Darry yelled. I took my seat between Pony and Steve. Darry sat at the head of the table as always. Soda, Sandy, and Two-Bit occupied the row across from us and Dally took the bottom head of the table. All but Johnny was here.

We all were just about 1 minute into our meals when a swarm of peas attacked me. I looked up at Two-Bit who had another spoonful of peas coming my way. I wiped them out of my hair with a fake evil look on my face. I gave Two-Bit an evil smile as I threw a clump of mashed potatoes in his direction. I began laughing when it splattered all over his face.

"Hey! That's not funny!" Two-Bit said offended.

"Y-y-y-y-yes it is!" I laughed more at the expression on his face. Just then a mashed potatoes snowball splattered all over my face too. I couldn't help but laugh at this. The rest of the gang joined in.

Pretty soon, a whole pea/mashed potato battle broke out at the table. All was fun and happy until I "accidently" threw a mashed potato clump in Sandy's face. Everyone ceased fire when Sandy screamed.

"AHHH! Look at me! You little brat! You messed up my hair!" Sandy screeched. Soda slung his arm around Sandy and kissed her on her nose.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, you look _delicious_!" I said grinning. I couldn't help but begin laughing at how stupid and irritated she looked.

"Make your sister apologize Soda!" Sandy said fixing her hair.

Soda sighed as he said,"Danielle. Tell Sandy how sorry you are."

"Can't. You always told me never to lie." Just then someone kicked my hard in the knee cap. My hands flew to my knee.

"Ow! Who did that?" I demanded. Sandy snuck me a grin that clearly said _You're welcome! _all over it. I huffed at her and began eating my chicken quietly. After that, no one really spoke much. Two-Bit didn't even make one joke or throw any peas. Sandy just _had _to ruin the fun.

"Hey party people!" I turned around to see Tara standing in the doorway. She made her way over to Dally and wiped off some mashed potatoes that wound up on his cheek. "Mmmm...delicious."

"Darry? Can Tara and I be excused?" I asked politely. I never had that big of an appitite as my brothers did.

"Sure." was all he said. I got up and put my plate away before grabbing Tara and locking us in my room.

"We need to talk...it's about Sandy...she's not who we think she is, Tara. She's a cheater. So is Taylor." I said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Tara asked confused.

"Today I went to the park and saw Taylor and Sandy chatting. They were talking about Soda and Johnny. Sandy doesn't even love Soda. She's cheating on him! And Taylor...Taylor is trying to make her ex boyfriend, Jim, of the Tyber Street Tigers jealous. And they're cousins for god's sake!" I whisper-yelled to Tara.

"I knew something was up with them!" Tara said finally puttig two and two together.

"So you believe me?" I ask hopefully.

"Of course I do! What do we do about this?" Tara asked.

"Nothing...yet...Let's just see how time plays out." I say quietly.

"Or...I have a better idea..." Tara says mysteriously. Oh no...this can't be good.

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**That's it folks! Probably my only update today but we'll see what happens shall we? So who'd you like it?**

**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Comments? Questions? Concerns? Ideas? Just review!**

**But I do need an idea. I need someone, anyone, to come up with a mastermind plan that Tara would come up with for me. I am braindead. That's why I left it off there! So someone please give em an idea! Please!**

**Stay gold, review, and give me ideas please!  
-Katie Lynn**


	6. Chapter 6: A Plan is Born

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, I was on Christmas Break and I spent 2 weeks visiting my family and had no time for a computer. Actually, I didn't have a computer! So I really couldn't update. But I thought, that since today was my last day on break, I'd take the time to update this story. I'd update my others too but I really wanna update this one! It's so far behind.**

**For ****_Jessica S _****my email is lemonlimesodacan **

**Thank you all for your suggestions for Tara's plan! You've given me a lot to think about.**

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"Well...I was thinking...we can't let them get away with this fake love/cheating nonsense. So we're gonna have to get revenge. And I think I know how to." Tara said with an evil grin.

"And how exactly do you plan to get revenge on them?" I ask.

Tara gets close to me and looks around the room to make sure no one is listening in on us. When she feels that it's safe she says quietly,"Prank calls. We pretend to be one of Sandy's boyfriends, call her, tell her to go to the Dingo so that they can meet and then we bring Soda into the scene. He'll see Sandy with the other man and dump her."

"I think it can work...but what about Taylor? She's only dating Johnny to make her ex boyfriend jealous." I say. "I don't think prank calling her would work as well as with Sandy."

"True..." Tara says nodding. She thinks for a few minutes before she snaps her fingers and says,"Instead of prank calling Taylor, we prank her."

"Prank her? What do you mean?" I ask. I cock my eyebrow and stare at her expectantly.

"We set up this huge prank on her. We can bring her to the Dingo and have a little fun with her. Pies will be involved. Pudding everywhere. Caramel guns. Everything. We'll bring in Johnny and her ex and make her fess up as we're having fun. Sure we'll have to clean it up but you'll get Johnny, so it's worth it." Tara says, a hint of evil in her voice.

"And you think it'll work?" I ask.

"Of course! How can't it? It's the perfect plan. Soda will no longer date that two-timer and Johnny will finally realize who is his soulmate." Tara puts her arm around my shoulders and says,"You."

I blush slightly. Me and Johnny...soulmates? The thought makes me smile and my mouth spits out,"I'm in!"

"Great! Now this will take some preperation. We're going to have to get as many supplies as we think we'll need, Sandy's number, her boyfriend's name, a date, a time, and the Dingo." Tara says.

"So should we make a checklist?" I ask curiously.

"Yes! Brilliant! Start writing!" Tara orders me. I grab the nearest paper and pen and label the paper _Supplies. Plan #1._

Tara begins telling me everything we need for revenge on Sandy. The list seems fairly long, but easy all the same. It shouldn't be too hard getting everything. They're fairly easy items. I finally finish the list.

"You wanna hear it?" I ask looking up to Tara.

"Yes! Read it." Tara says. She motions for me to begin reading it and I obey.

"_Supplies. Plan #1. Target: Sandy_

_-Sandy's phone number (ask Soda)  
-Sandy's other boyfriend's name (eavesdrop)  
-A date (sometime in the near future. Later this week?)  
-A time (after school or weekend. Whenever everyone in this plan is available. Shoot for noon.)  
-The Dingo (reserve two tables that are close to each other)  
-Disguises (dress like men)  
-Sodapop Curtis (get him on his lunch break)  
-Other boyfriend (eavesdrop some more)  
-Sandy (she'll come along. Anything for her boyfriends.)  
-Tara Winston and Danielle Curtis (oh we'll be there!)"_

I finish the list and look up at Tara. She seems pleased with the list. She grins at me and then something pops in her head. "We're going to need more people. Getting all this _by ourselves _is going to take a while."

"But who?" I ask. Then I instantly know. "Ponyboy."

"Maybe he can ask Curly to help us!" Tara exclaims.

"Yeah! Curly loves revenge anyways, I can't imagine him saying no to revenge. He's a Shepard. And Tim's brother. They both love revenge." I say smiling at Tara.

"I think we have a plan. Now we just need to get everyone in it." Tara says. She flashes a huge grin at me. Boy I can't wait to see the look on Sandy's face when she realizes that we're onto her. She'll be so shocked. And Soda will breakup with her. And that mystery boy will breakup with her too. And then maybe Soda and Tara will go out if we give him her letter. But what we're going to do with mine, I have no idea, but I could care less about it. All that's important right now is my brother's love life, sweet sweet revenge, and defeating Sandy once and for all.

"So should I go and get Ponyboy?" I ask.

"Yes! Go get him!" Tara says. I get up and run downstairs. Luckily Ponyboy isn't busy and he's just reading one of his books. Most likely _Gone With the Wind. _He loves that book to pieces. He's read it like 5 times since he came back from Windrixville. Gosh is he a reader. He sure likes books.

I get close to Ponyboy and whisper to him,"Hey Pony. Tara and I need you upstairs. We have a favor to ask you."

He looks up at me and finally puts his book down. I smile gently at him and drag him up the stairs to my room. I walk him in before I close and lock the door behind us. We stand in silence looking back and forth between the three of us before Pony speaks up,"So what do you guys need me for?"

I speak up before Tara. "We need your help. We plan on getting revenge on Taylor and Sandy. We've decided to do Sandy first since she's the easier of the two subjects. Now we've made a list of what we need to do. We plan on prank calling her other boyfriend and say that he wants to go out at the Dingo. Sandy will hopefully agree and we'll take Soda to the Dingo, thinking he's going on a date. Sandy will realize that both of her boyfriends are there and will fess up after probably a series of lies. But-" I hand Pony the list. "We can't do this by ourselves. We're going to need your help. And you're goign to have to coax Curly to join in on us. You know how he loves revenge."

We allow Pony a few minutes to let the plan sink in as he reads down our list. Tara and I glance at each other for a moment before she looks at Pony and says,"So Ponyboy...are you in?"

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**Ok well that's all I have for Chapter 6. I know it's kinda short but I think it's long enough to carry put onto the next chapter. Also, if you guys review, I may post Chapter 7 tonight! But that's all up to you guys. You must review! And if I don't update again tonight expect another update either Friday or Saturday.**

**So...back to the reviews...Love it? Hate it? Comments? Questions? Concerns? Ideas? Criticism? Just review! Reviews mean the world to me and I've been so happy with all the reviews I've gotten so far. They all have encouraged me! And thanks everyone for submitting your ideas. If you have an idea for later on in the story review and tell me it or PM your idea.**

**Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Stay Gold and Do it for Johnny and Review!  
-Katie Lynn**


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